Chad H.

Chad teaches

Chad delivers an exceptional lesson experience and ranks in the top
15% of our teachers nationwide.

Teaches students:

Ages 5 to 65

Teaching since:

July 2007

I have taken piano lessons for the past 17 years and have been teaching for the last 5. While working on my Bachelor of Arts in Music at Willamette University, I decided to give piano lessons during the summer and found it to be an exciting way to connect with new people of all ages, give them a skill that they can use for the rest of their life, and grow as a pianist myself. Now that I have graduated, I am focusing on teaching more full time, and could not be more thrilled about it. Now giving Skype lessons!

*** Lesson Details ***
Having had the experience of putting in a lot of practice during the week, only to be too tense and nervous during my lesson to play well, I try to make my lessons a place where students can feel calm and relaxed. I do this by implementing humor into the lessons, and letting students know that it's not the end of the world if they're hitting a few wrong notes. At the same time, it is important for students to make progress. If a student is not making progress from week to week, it means that they are either playing something too difficult or are not practicing enough. Either way, it is my responsibility to remedy the situation.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I expect my students to have a piano. While I will not pay for their lesson books, I can buy the book for them as long as I am reimbursed.

*** Specialties ***
I incorporate some Alexander technique into my teaching. I've found that a higher body awareness helps people to relax and feel more comfortable. I am most comfortable teaching classical music.

Chad does a great job! He is attentive, clearly experienced, and friendly! We look forward to additional lessons with him!

bella Z.
Jan 20, 2016

Piano·Online

Chad is a brilliant teacher! He is very genuine when it comes to teaching. Takes his time and really knows what he is doing. My 9 year old daughter absolutely enjoyed having Chad as her teacher and I would highly recommend him to anyone everyone no matter what age.

Chad is right on target with my son and he's enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about his subject.

Sandya F.
Jan 29, 2015

Piano·Online

We are from Melbourne, Australia, and came to Texas not too long ago. Our 12 year old son had us ship his Kurzweil Piano to Texas, wanting to continue with his piano lessons. He then assigned us with the daunting task of finding a teacher just like Joel, his young piano teacher from Melbourne!

Over the months we tried to find him a piano teacher "just like Joel", but it was like finding a needle in a haystack. We tried every avenue possible, but there was no luck. That was when I found TakeLessons on the web, and carefully going through the profiles finally Chad caught my attention. However, he was in Oregon and we were not sure how online lessons would work with our son, as he has only had face-to-face lessons in the comfort of his home. Although skeptical about online learning, we decided to give Chad a try. It has been almost two months now since Nik started lessons with Chad, and we are not only impressed with Chad's teaching style, we are also very pleased with his courteous and calm attitude. We can only hope that our son would want to continue his lessons with Chad for a long time and not only improve his talent but also enjoy piano music. We consider our son to be very fortunate that he found Chad, who I am sure is "just like Joel" if not even better!

Chad gives piano lesson to my 7 years old daughter. I am very impressed with Chad. Chad gentle, easy going manner makes him extremely well suited to teach piano. Chad is humble, patient, knowledgeable, and organized. He always makes lesson fun and very productive. All in all, my daughter absolutely enjoys playing piano. She is not only learning how to play piano but also developing a love and understanding for music. Thank you so much for being such a great teacher!!!
Happy mom,
Anna Z.

My son began piano lessons in July of 2013, not long after his 7th birthday. Chad comes to our home before school on Monday mornings - a terrific convenience to us - and despite the early hour, he is routinely prompt, focused, and affable. Joe looks forward to his lessons. Chad has found a magical balance for succeeding with young students by demonstrating tremendous patience, cultivating a joyous mood, upholding high standards of execution, and fostering in Joe an inner sense of discipline. The pace of Chad's instruction is right in step with Joe's interest and ability such that Joe is drawn to practice through his own initiative - a result attributable in part to the inspiration he receives in his lessons. As a professional music educator myself, I appreciate the emphasis that Chad has placed on music literacy from the very beginning. His choice of lesson materials has been spot on. We're very pleased with our choice of piano teachers for our son through TakeLessons.

As much as skill at the piano as an adult student, I wanted motivation! Chad's patient and good-natured work with me on piano pieces was so, so effective. I could hardly pass by the piano without trying some of his techniques to improve.

My 11 year old son just had his first online lesson which Chad. He is very comfortable and loves the convenience of taking lessons via Skype. Chad was very professional and accommodating.
My son really enjoyed his lesson and looks forward to the next one.
I think my son and Chad are a good match.

At age 60, after a forty-year hiatus, I resumed my study of piano with Chad. I was a bit worried about my fingers and my brain being able to coordinate. I was sure Iâd have to start at square one again. I took a piece of music that I played as a child, âFur Elise,â by Beethoven, with me to my first lesson. I could only play one line. After one lesson with Chad, I was playing the whole first page. Chad put me at ease immediately. Having heard him perform on many occasions, I quickly realized that he is also an excellent teacher. He assessed my ability perfectly and put me right into intermediate pieces. I was amazed how quickly I progressed and how I gained confidence.

Chad was my son's first piano teacher. He taught in the summer while he was home from college. My son, Nick, was instantly comfortable with Chad's easy ways. Chad has a quiet, comfortable demeanor as a teacher which puts a student at ease. He continued to challenge my son with new skills and techniques each lesson drawing out NIck's skills. I am grateful for the lessons Nick has had with Chad he has instilled a deeper love of music in him.

My son has been learning piano from Chad for almost 4 months. His interests and persistence are what i worried most but Chad manages him so well. My son is not only font of playing piano but also is motivated to practice everyday, with joy. Besides, what i feel the best of Chad is his personality and reliability - he's humble, encouraging, easy-going, and he's never late for the classes.